Here I am again

 David and I went for our pedicures.  A first for me, when a man did mine for me.  A lady helped David, and he seems happy with the result, which is exactly what I had hoped.  We have to admit our age, when neither of us can manage to look after our toenails properly, but this is the cheapest and most fun way to deal with the problem.  Then we came home and both of us pretty well pegged out.  But we're up now.  I spent some time putting page numbers on my two new BuJo journals.  Here's what they look like.

And here they are opened with the page numbers.  I think the purple one will be the one I use, and the other the one I play with.  The flowered one is the one I bought on sale for $7.00, and I now realize that the spiral binding inside is damaged and not all of the pages can be used.  I really like the elastic page marker and closure, and think that will make it much  easier for me to use.  I have a zoom meeting this evening with my little group where we will be discussing the BuJo's, and I'm quite looking forward to that.

Beth, I'm thinking of sending Mike a congratulations card on his engagement, but don't have, nor do I particularly need, an address.  May I send it in care of you?

Everything appeared to be screwed up but I think I've figured it out

 In my "new post" page, every blog I've ever had is listed on one side.  If I want to post on any of them, I just go to the page and there is a section where I can open a list of them, and I pick which blog I want to post on.  Otherwise everything gets posted onto the family blog. Took me awhile to figure it out, this morning, but I think I've got it now.  I'll try to get something on the Mouse Factory blog later today.  I'll post the previous piece and take a picture of the piece I sandwiched Wednesday.  I'm very pleased with this new piece--so far.  I plan to do some intricate FMQ'g on it, and am a little anxious about how well that may turn out.

I'm sorry to hear about Harry's brother-in-law passing away.  I remember meeting him when we visited many years ago. Was it 1985?  ( Amber was 12 and I remember all the young fellows showing up on their bicycles on your street.  Something not usually seen there.  Snort!) At the time the other Harry was very pleased about getting a rubber dingy, and not yet married to your Harry's sister. I'm also sorry to hear that he wasn't well for a lengthy period before passing, but I also remember that he had a liking for drink.

This has been a somewhat rough week for us.  We seem to have been out just about everyday and will be out again later today.  David wasn't feeling well, and I had to do the grocery shopping and bill paying alone on Wednesday. I got it done, and everything loaded into the car, and home, where David helped with the unloading.  Yesterday we were out for what we thought would be a short errand.  We wanted cashews from the Bulk Barn, and I wanted to pop into Fabricland for spray adhesive.  I didn't realize that I would have to stand outside and wait to get in to Fabricland for over 20 minutes.  I wasn't dressed for the cold.  Then they were very strict about making us follow the directional arrows on the floor, which circulated the periphery of the store before wending their way to the check out.  What I wanted was right by the checkout and I knew it, so was a little pissed at having to do so much walking.  Then I wandered through the parking lot looking for David before deciding that he must still be at the Bulk Barn across the parking lot, across the busy street, and across another parking lot.  He was just leaving when I finally found him.

By this time I had had more than enough time on my feet, but it didn't end.  We had one more stop at the grocery store.  I thought David was going to stay in the car while I went in, so grabbed my purse and charged in to get it over with.  Got what I needed, but then had to go to the other end of the store to get the soft drinks that I heard David ask for as I had been getting out of the car.  Got to the bottom of the drink aisle and saw David walking away at the other end of the aisle!  At this point I was  cold, tired and very sore, which added together to create a bit of a temper,  He was pissed that I hadn't waited for him to join me going into the store.  I finally caught up to him at the checkout, where we had three items and two carts.  The clerk, who has seen us before, could see that we were both short tempered, and was trying not to laugh, as David left me to deal with the groceries, saying he wanted to check a lottery ticket. This left me trying to pay and deal with the Air Miles card, and juggling two carts in a narrow check-out aisle. So as he left, I, half finding a bit of humor and half snarking off, under my breath I said "yeah, and we can pick up a divorce later."  The clerk jumps right in and says "divorces, aisle one".  This diffused the situation, and she and I had a good laugh.

Less funny was the longer term affects of our days out. We got home just in time to watch Dr. Phil.  Within minutes, David was well asleep, book in hand.  I was so sore and tired that I used my cane in the house for the rest of the day and evening.  I plan to use it today as well, and I'm going to suggest that we put the laundry off until tomorrow so that we can both have a more relaxing day.  We both have pedicures booked for this morning.  It's starting to look like we may be gong into a full shut down next week,  if I'm reading between the lines in the paper correctly.  I can't disagree with that decision.

Bread... I can smell it now

 The thoughts of devouring some sourdough bread has stayed with me since you posted Pati. I might even start a starter and see what happens.

I wonder about the Mouse Factory blog - I still only get what was posted aways back and not your newest posting - the one you were having trouble with. Am I not doing something right or, are you still having issues Pati?

We had a death in our family this week. Harry's sisters husband also named Harry, died on Oct 25 at home. Their family was there ( son Ryan with wife Ashley and new grandson Zander, and daughter Julia) and the death was not unexpected but at the same time a bit of a shock to get her call. He has been sickly for many years. As with most deaths in this Covid environment, there will be no Funeral - a simple cremation and then next summer they will have an immediate family gathering traveling to Georgian Bay near Parry Sound on Lake Huron, and scatter the ashes on the family vacation island.

Friday always comes too quickly but at this time of month there is the bills to pay, etc and also the time change to think about, and Sat is Hallowe'en which I have told you we will ignore. I think we will go shopping on Monday since Harry would like to take advantage of the "on sale" candy at Walmart. 

Today I need to continue organizing the boots and jackets for winter. I have it half done but now desperately need to dig out mitts and hats and gloves. My hands are getting cold when I take the dogs out. 

Have a nice weekend folks. Take care of yourselves always...

More Sourdough bread

 Yep, David has been baking again.  I love it when he bakes, but then hate it when I have to restrain myself and only eat one slice.  But since I slice it myself, it can be a little wider a slice than otherwise.  Doing that doesn't help at the scale, though.

The BuJo is chugging along.  The book I got from the library is a fantastic reference, and I  know I'm going to continue to refer to it, as I'm doing two or three times a day.  So I've ordered it from Amazon, and it's supposed to be delivered on Thursday.  We'll see.  the other thing I'm going to need is a new book to keep the BuJo in.  We are told to start a new one every year. I'm hoping the little home made book I'm using now will last until Jan 1st, but I'm having my doubts.  Of course I can just make another small one to fill in until the actual date.  Finding a suitable book might be a challenge, but this is the time of year to be doing it.  Now I have an excuse to go shopping!  Maybe  I should have checked on amazon.ca.

Last Thursday we got our flu shots and gave the doctor the forms for application for the Disability Tax Credit.  Yesterday we got them back all filled out.  In exchange for a whole bunch of money, of course, but there was also a note within the blank forms that any cost to having them filled out is tax deductible.  Thank Goodness!  The doctor had suggested, in the form, that David's be backdated to 2008 and me to 2009.  It would be wonderful if it could go back that far.   I have a vague memory that they only backdate 5 years, but that might not be right. In any case, I went out and mailed them right away.  While out, I checked our latest lottery tickets and both gave us a very small prize, so small that buy two more tickets only cost me $3.00, in stead of the usual $10.00. Last time I checked them we got $10.00, so it's starting to to look as though buying them and checking them is going to become my job.  I hope not.

One of my goals, as stated in my BuJo, is to do a small sketch a day.  I think you saw the sketch of the spools of thread.  Yesterday it was my small studio clock and the tiny needle-felted teddy bear I have.  But now I'm struggling to find things that I feel are at my sketching level, and that I can find around the house.  I'm thinking of posting the finished sketches on my blog, just to have a record of them, other than in my sketchbook.

Today will be a fairy quiet day.  Nothing major is planned.  Of course, that was how I thought yesterday would go and it was nothing of the sort.  I was run off my feet!

I'm not at ambitious as others seem to be...

 I am however on my computer today instead of my phone. Which is showing to me how lazy I have gotten since my phone will autocorrect many of my mistakes and my computer doesn"t.  Now you'll know what a really lousy keyboarder I am.  The forecast for today is even colder than yesterday, but I promised I would do some outside work.  Just because the quad wouldn"t start yesterday and we couldn't move the trailer doesn"t let me get out of it. 

 My tooth is still a little swollen and sore but I am probably the only one who knows that now. It looks pretty much normal from the outside. Tomorrow it is back to the dentist. He want's xrays so I am pretty sure he is not going to consider pulling it tomorrow.  Plus it is still a bit swollen.  

Boissevain Theatre finally came and picked up and paid for the lights that Whitemud sold them.  Now I can make some space in the Whitemud room at Arts Forward.  We can hopefully empty out the shed here (the one that they never came and fixed and the roof and flashing rotted and the squirrels and mice got into).  Once the contents are all in town I can change the insurance that Whitedmud has and remove most of the lights and the storage shed.  That should reduce the cost. Then, since Whitemud voted to just let the shed rot, Jim and I can take it over.  Expecially since we already paid a Hutterite friend to replace the roof and all the rotted boards.  All it cost us is some beer and his labour since Whitemud had already bought all the supplies to fix the roof and they were stored in our quonset.  I's not in great shape, but it is a shed.  I think we are ready for winter now (outside if not mentally)  everything has been put away and the markers on the lane are up. I just don't want it to happen. 

 My son sent me a text on Saturday...... he bought himself a new toy.  A 2011 Kawasaki 900. I guess he really missed riding.  It will be hard to store it for 6 months and not ride, but now is the time to buy, when things are going cheap.

Did you notice how |I tried to separate my thoughts into paragraphs?  Not going to happen again.  I write like I think. Random thoughts going in all directions.

after a good night's sleep

 I managed to move the post to where it belongs--I think. Yesterday was a very productive day, utilizing a couple of tricks that come directly from my BuJo.  I'm using scrap paper at this point, but the actual book part of it starts tomorrow.  I've used Monday as a starting point for every other scheduled part of my life for years, so I felt it was only appropriate. My daily documented goals are to have the kitchen clean by noon.  For the rest of the day, kitchen activities are optional--other than cooking.  I will have my menus planned, for the next day, before going to bed.  I will limit computer time to less than one hour per day, and reading time to less than 2 hours per day, including bathroom reading. I will sketch every day.  Here is yesterday's effort.

 David has not shown or complained of any negative effects from his flu shot. I'm so relieved. Otherwise, we stay at home.  I'm still  enjoying my new socks.  They are making so much difference to the colour of my legs and pain in my feet. I can't believe the difference they make.

No need to apologize to us...

 ..as I love to see your work and especially this one with the background EPP that you have been working on for awhile. I am concerned though, for you to be able to publish your messages and pictures on the Mouse Factory as that is your target audience. I wish you luck to figure it out (I am not the one to consult on this haha!) I check both blogs every day so I shall continue to follow to see how you make out.  Take care folks.

 I'm having a terrible time with the new format, as it puts anything I post on either blog onto this one.  Sorry about that, but I don't know how to fix it.

I’m back!

 I had an infected tooth this week and as a result I have found it difficult to do anything. The swelling is going down, but it is still showing on my cheek and jaw. As a result I have really eaten nothing but soft food this week. It is amazing how you start to crave foods when you can’t handle them. I would kill for pizza! Oh well....I wanted to lose weight, just not like this. And I just stocked up on fresh produce!  Salad and cucumbers and peppers☹️. We had planned on trimming and burning brush this week since the wind finally died down, but all we did was on Monday. I was down after that. I also missed my Friday evening with Rrain. I have really come to look forward to spending time with her while Jim is at meat draw. He actually won something last night only we are not sure what it is!  It looks like small pork tenderloin, but it also looks too red to be that. Another one of life’s mysteries. I guess we’ll cook it and taste it. Other than that it is quite cold out and although a lot of snow disappeared there are still large patches in the yard. And I know winter is coming because our bedroom door closes again. You can never close it all the way in summer.  Take care

Cats

Incorporating cats into the family is not something I miss with not having animals, but I often miss having an animal in the house.  But we both believe that it would be a cruelty to bring a young animal to live with us, as neither of us can predict how long we're going to be around.

Yesterday, we both had our flu shots and neither of us appears to be suffering with it.  We're both a little lazy today, but that is no indicator of malaise, maybe just boredom.  We were worried about David having it, as he has had so much trouble in the past.  However, I overdid it at the sewing machine today, and am very tired.  I'm looking forward to doing nothing this evening.  I wasn't even alert enough to listen to Gail tell me about her day, when she phoned.  St. Norbert Market is now open both Saturdays and Sundays, but vendors are only allowed to be there one day, and her day is Sundays.  We both have to change our goods for sale in the Gallery gift shop in Selkirk tomorrow, but with Covid, only one vendor is allowed in at one time.  My appointment is 11:00, and hers is 3:30, so we can't even travel together.

I have now set up a short-term Bullet Journal (BuJo)  for myself.  Just the activity of setting it up showed me a few places where I could be more efficient in my life.  I have only set up 6 months in the little book--a small insignificant one I had made for myself years ago.  I didn't want to buy another cheap sketch book, when I have so many--and not one really suitable.  If I find that it works well enough that I can actually make use of it, then I'll maybe buy one--at Walmart, where they're cheap.

Today I went back to Pennington's to take a look at long sleeved tee-shirts, and they greeted me by name.  Perhaps I'm spending too much money there.  When I thought about it everything I was wearing, other than my shoes and my scarf, I had bought there.  When it comes to recognizing me, I also have to guess that the fur coat is a dead giveaway.

Also today, we changed over to our duvets.  What a pain in the a-- that is, especially the one that goes on the Queen bed, as it is a King duvet, and next to impossible to manipulate.  I've been so cold over the past week-week and a half.  But then I've been cold everywhere.  Old age?  I know David is always cold, just as his father was, when taking blood thinners.  He wears a jacket in the house-always.  I wear a jacket or sweater on the main floor, but don't really need one in the basement, and at the same time, I find a tee shirt too cool down there.  Thus the need for long sleeved tee-shirts.

We seem to be settling down quite nicely to the increased restrictions in the area.  I guess it gets easier with practice.  And Heaven only knows we've had lots of practice this year.  David pouring the wine.  I guess the bedtime routine is starting.  Be safe ladies.

Oh my gosh, Friday again..

 The end of another week and in thinking of accomplishments, my list is scant. We did visit family though on Tuesday and that was worth the day. But with rain most days this week, virtually nothing was done outside. 

Trying to assimilate the 2 new kittens and one cat into the general population yesterday was a total disaster and without going into too much detail, I lost one of my birds in a cage turnover in the bathroom while I was in the front room trying to cover the other cages. All due to the "wild" cats running around. I was devastated. Should not have happened. I had had the bathroom door closed but somehow (and we will not get into how this happened either) the door was left open and sure enough one of the cages was attacked resulting in a bird getting loose and being killed. It was not a happy scene here. I shall only hope that today will be better but my track record does not point to any improvement haha! The one hopeful thought though is that we shall not celebrate Hallowe'en next weekend. The lights will go out and no offerings of goodies will take place. The best part of this plan is that I do not have to go down to the storage units and bring back the boxes of decorations and ornaments that I usually have to decorate the yard. Each year I would get compliments from the people coming into the yard which made me feel the effort was worth it, but the time and energy setting up and then taking down is not anymore.

So I shall go now and make my coffee and get on with the day. Have a nice weekend folks. Still not nice "out there" with all this Covid 19 so take care of yourselves, please. 

Encountered the dreaded SNOW!

 A quickie for this morning. Long horrible drive to Kirkland Lake starting out early in the dark and rain, and encountering snow along the way and greeted with a nice covering of snow on the ground once we got there. But then the sun showed it's smiling face during our visit so the drive home was dry but just as terribly long. Our sister in law Deanna looks poorly and very unlike what we remembered of her appearance before her 5 month ordeal in hospital. But she still showed her sense of humour and her conversation was totally normal and her memory was good, inspite of weakness and need to mobilize with a walker. She and i had a really nice visit and she was able to vent a bit to me which she has always found easy when we are together. Harry's brother is also not looking very healthy and also shows decline in mobility and memory. A good idea for us to visit as it made their day and with winter coming who knows when we might see them again. Deanna enjoyed the sandwiches and lunch I brought and I observed her need to eat so I told her i thought she was starving, and to increase her daily consumption of food/nutrition. She lost 50 lbs during her hospitalization. And at home now she depends on her daughter in law to bring food, or Ted will open a tin of soup. I thank goodness that at this particular moment Harry and i have not reached that stage yet.

So mid week is here and I have lots to do inside because it is once again raining out. No win on last nights Lotto Max for me - but i still run back for more tickets haha! I'll never win anything unless i have a ticket! When i came home last night i wanted to have my usual goblet of wine, but alas I have none. So on a whim I checked over by the Grandfather clock where I have some odd 1/2 full bottles of stuff such as the brandy Harry uses on his cakes, and low and behold a full unopened bottle of Harvey's Cream Sherry. Yeah! I really enjoyed the richness of that goblet so look forward to tonight's snort!

Take care , and thinking of you 

Interested in your new project

 Pati, that new approach you spoke of ( the zoom meeting) sounds interesting. If you care to elaborate at any time i wouldn't mind a bit moire information, and especially how you are able to implement for your needs. 

Yesterday I was able to do some dedicated work outside while the planned hydro outage occurred from 8 am to 11 am. it was drizzly, wet and cool but most suitable for the work i accomplished. Still more to do but that will come. Tomorrow we are off to Kirkland lake to visit Harry's brother and sister in law. She was in hospital in poor condition at first, for almost 5 months just returning home in late Sept. She still is still not active but managing with his help. I will take sandwiches and some bought goodies for lunch as I do not know what she can eat. Harry does not eat and nor does Ted from the sounds of it so a big meal is not necessary. I may be the only one eating! I have never enjoyed this trip - 4 hours one way on terrible highway but I guess it is best to visit now then later when the weather would be poor.

Hope you are all taking care of yourselves. I have been wearing my "sister" mask and thinking of you both and of course Keri - our master mask maker!  Take care 

Staying at home

 Well, we're settling in.  Taking many cues from last time there was a lockdown, even if the requirements are less stringent this time.  Firstly, we are well stocked up on just about everything.  Will still have to buy perishables, as needed, but will try to limit shopping to once per week.  The sourdough starter is at day 6 now, and showing signs of being ready to use.  We can't get multigrain flour so will have to stick with whole wheat.  I also plan to use the recipe for sourdough biscuits that we found, and make them to go with the turkey soup we have in the freezer.  Maybe I'll be able to make some of the oatmeal bread that I enjoyed last time, but I have to remember that there was a reason that I gained weight during the lockdown.

I attended the Zoom meeting Friday night and now notice that there is a follow-up this Friday.  This system interests me, and I plan to try it, but without buying any new books or such to use.  I've been watching UTube videos on it, and have ordered the book written by the originator, from the library.  There will be time spent setting it up, but all the information says that one should modify the system to their own needs.  It also sounds as though, once set up, the system will be easy to use, if I establish the habit of using it.  My rationale for even attempting this is that I'm finding my memory slipping more often these days.  I've relied on a really, really good memory all my life, and losing it makes me scared.  This is also a system designed to increase ones productivity.  That would be a real bonus to me.

In the meantime, I amuse myself watching the Juncos in the yard.  Yes, they're back again, and that means winter is about to arrive.  My brain and my cold feet are starting to ask whether it's time for the duvet.  That is always a critical time in my life as it means that I'm accepting the inevitability of winter.

Not much activity in the studio, although the EPP continues at a good rate. I'm getting a better idea  of how many "squares" I need to make, and the number is scary--25-30, plus partial squares to fill in the openings between "square' on the edges.  As you can see, 11 squares fill about half of my design wall, so I estimate I will need as least twice as many to cover a queen bed.  I have more than enough quilts for twin beds.

That I'm getting on so quickly with this tells me that I'm watching a lot more tv than I have in the past.  This means less time spent working in the studio, and this is not a good thing.  I'm somewhat hoping that this Bullet Journaling thing might help with that.  We'll see.

My recent clothing purchases were also driven by the obvious age of most of what I have.  Many of my tops are at least 5 years old, some double that, as were my socks.  I'm loving my  new socks, and fully expect to get  more, as I don't have enough to last the week.

Lunch time.  Better move on.

hearing not so good news from your parts

 You are right Pati, it is a bit scary. The news is not good from Winnipeg/Manitoba and I urge you to be safe and take care of yourselves, and your families. I try hard to adhere to precautions and do not go anywhere that is not necessary. However, I consider the lottery store for me to be necessary but I mask up and use sanitizer. The other day in Huntsville I did go into Starbucks again but their precautions are good with few people together and with all wearing masks. Even in the grocery stores eg WalMart and Freshco that i did go into, I found people not really doing what they should so i try to stay clear. In Freshco you have to spray down your cart at the door and I give it as real good dose and my hands as well. 

I managed to purchase some underwear in Walmart as i had wanted. and will try it out - if satisfactory i will buy some more of the same next time. I had a good look at my wardrobe and realize that I am lacking terribly. I do not need many cloths but most of my cloths I have are looking pretty awful. Even my nightgowns are so old and worn that they are ripping.I may have to bite the bullet soon and actually treat myself. I just cannot seem to be able to "browse" when shopping in Walmart and never go into any other stores. We use the internet to buy a lot for example last night the ice machine started to make horrible noises. I cleaned it and set it up again but same noises so Harry ordered another. We use the ice machine constantly and I think this may be our fourth or fifth to purchase over the last many years. We now get our budgie bird seed from the net and delivered to the door - this is because my favourite pet store closed down.

It has been rainy and cool and not much done outside. I will try again today to do something. yesterday I took the two kittens to the Vet for their last needles and made appointment to get them fixed as they are of the right age now to do so. The male costs less than the female because it is an easier surgery, but nevertheless, it still has to be done. All these animals take up a lot of my time, and daresay, a lot of my money haha!

Hope you have a nice weekend folks, and stay home and safe. Always thinking of you...Take care

Getting scary out there

More and more it's looking like we might be facing another lock down one way or another. In the interest of being ready, I went out again this morning, and got a haircut.  It was time, and I've been thinking about it for a couple of weeks, but now "tis done.  This piggy backs on my trip out yesterday, when I bought new underwear.  I got an e-mail, as I do just about every day, saying that Pennington's was having a sale.  There have been somewhat persistent rumours that they are in trouble, and I know that they've been closing a lot of stores in Canada.  They are the last store dedicated to larger women, and there has been conversation on Facebook about how difficult it is for larger women to find clothes.  So I decided to do it, again not before time, but yesterday was the day.  I found exactly what I wanted, and it was on sale.  Cotton, but coloured and with designs.  I also found socks, again coloured and with designs.  The socks I'm wearing are pink with black cats on them.  I have worn nothing but black socks since about the first job I got, as a therapist in 1967.  

This whole thing is not only in preparation for a lock down, but also part of a pattern of behaviour that I've had for years.  When I'm down on myself, and not creating anything worthwhile, or at all, I spend some time wallowing in my depression, and then make a vow to get over it, and carry on.  So the socks and underwear are not only  a necessity, but also concrete symbol of my plan to have confidence in myself as a person and as an artist.  The whole process was so effective that, while dozing this morning before getting up, the solution to a technical problem that has been making me crazy for about 5 months, suddenly came to me.  Now everything appears to have fallen into place in the my studio life.

Hopefully, this is the end of a very down period in my life, and I can stop loosing sleep over it.

A lovely weekend all around by the sounds of it....

 Today I spent a good portion of a sunny but cool day in the yard doing all sorts of odd jobs in keeping with my desire to clean up for winter. Always the way though, that one tends to jump from one chore to another while working about and then wonders why nothing seems to be done completely haha! The rest of the week's forecast sound as if rain may be the highlight so today was crucial for me. I've just come in and made a meal of leftover liver which I had last night. Still a favourite for me and even the leftover meal tasted great as I added a few extras such as little potatoes and mixed veg. Now I crave some thing sweet and probably would take a tart from your platter Pati, or some pumpkin pie from your table Cathy. Any leftovers?

We shall go shopping tomorrow to Huntsville. Harry found the new address for The Thrift Store ( Salvation Army) that moved in the Spring. We did not know where it moved to but now have an address so perhaps tomorrow Harry will be lucky. I do not go into these stores anymore since the Covid 19 restrictions but I am happy just to sit in the car. I will go into WalMart and Freshco. I am hoping to buy some new underwear in WalMart as for some reason I am short - I remember throwing out older underpants but apparently I must have got really slaphappy as now my drawers are empty - or, perhaps, may be I should be doing the wash more often?

So now I will do the bird and rabbit cages and take care of feeding the other animals and then have a nice warm bath to warm me up ( I feel chilly now from being outside) and get ready for bed myself. Maybe a little reading? 

Glad to read about your Thanksgivng festivities, and playing games (long time since I played Farming Game) and playing with puppies. Cathy, are you thinking about getting yourself another little dog after dog sitting with such a cutie? 

Take care folks, and mind your distancing, and mask wearing, and hand washing.  

A different Thanksgiving--somewhat

 Since we knew that we wouldn't be seeing family this year, Gail came over for a bit of a games night.  While I wanted it to be somewhat informal, it was still Thanksgiving, so we ( the royal "we") cooked the small turkey in the morning, and carefully sliced the breasts for sandwiches.  I stocked up on veggies, salsa, buns, taco ships and regular chips and made old fashioned onion dip to go with the veggies. We started a "Farming Game" when she arrived and played for 4 hours straight.  I had setout veggies trays etc, and we ate while we played. Gail brought some almond tarts she bought at St. Norbert Market while working there on Saturday.  They made a nice dessert, and we just passed around the open package. This was a different evening in our lives, and I think in hers as well.  She had told me of memories of playing "Monopoly" with her family when they were young, so I thought that "The Farming Game" might go over well--and it did.  Her quick thinking, and ability to do four things at once, left David and I in the dust, but I tried to keep it low key and agree to whatever goes.  A really good evening, as far as I'm concerned.

Yesterday a couple of the ladies came over to pick up their pieces from the show I brought home last week, from Portage.  I had sent an e-mail, saying that, while I could hold onto them until we had another face-to-face meeting, I would rather they picked them up asap. One of them showed up with two pieces of home made pumpkin pie.  So we have something to look forward to today, along with the left over turkey.  I do plan to make soup.  Haven't done that in a few years, but with lots of left over turkey and veggies, it just seems the right thing to do.

Earlier in the week, I was feeling a little overwhelmed ( a lot overwhelmed), given the renovations and subsequent repairs going on.  I had reached the point of not being able to worry about anything more and not really wanting to make any sort of decision about anything.  David sort of took over for me, for about 36 hours, while I sat in front of the tv, and vegged out. I came out of it realizing that there was no way I could continue to worry about everything, especially things like American politics, over which I had no control.  I'm trying to work on that, and feeling much better overall.  However, Mom was sitting on my shoulder yesterday explaining what I should be doing about setting up the meal.  Boy!  I was sure channeling her while setting up veggie and chip plates.  But I told David what was going on, and we had a good laugh about it.  In the past, I've taken great pleasure in creating a meal and the setting for it, paying attention to every detail, (and making everyone around me crazy). But I have no regrets about the informality of yesterday.  David had extra work cooking and carving the turkey, but, given the care and attention he gave that, I think it gave him a sense of satisfaction.

A day to be truly thankful for

 I spent the day with my family and I am so thankful for the opportunity. We are puppy sitting a 5 month old pomchi this weekend and he and Chloe played outside for a couple of hours. It was quite nice out until the wind and clouds came up. I think Sandi had as much fun with the puppy as Chloe!  Even though I tried to get as much ready ahead of time as I could it was still a rush at supper time. The kitchen is just too small for six people so we ate downstairs. There was more room but it meant hauling everything down and then up again after supper. And lots of dirty dishes. I was in such a hurry to clean off the kitchen table to play a game that I put all the leftovers away and never made up packages to go home with everyone. At least I can take some to Rrain but I have a lot more turkey here than I expected. Tomorrow will be a lazy day for me. I need a bit of a break after the thrill of today. 

Plodding--perfect word to describe my life

 Our lives have been somewhat frantic lately.  Everyday there is something to remember, such as a workman coming for some reason.  I feel as though I've been on a taboggan going downhill for at least two weeks.  And it's not done yet, as tomorrow we have to go to Portage la Prairie to pick up the show that we took out there in early August. I ifnally otls 

David that he can put the outdoor furniture away, and he asked me when the Christmas trees can come in from the garage.   Well, not until I do some work downstairs and that can't happen until I get rid of the fibre show that will be stored down there starting tomorrow.   Every time I turn around someone is asking/reminding/expecting something of me. Tuesday evening, after a busy day, the lady phoned me to ask me to volunteer in the Gallery on Wednesday.  This is my role, in term of volunteering there, as I don't want to set up a specific day of the week to be there, but I acknowledge my responsibility to do so at some point.  So, when there is no snow on the ground I'm on the emergency call out list.  I had thought that it might be a relaxing day for me, but it turned out not to be so.  I was very glad that David had driven me out and picked me up, as I came home and collapsed.  Then, having not really done anything physical during the day, I couldn't sleep, and ended up seeking chemical help about 1:30, slept through until 5:20, when a very nasty bladder infection made itself known.  Not for the first time this week, but I had thought it had been dealt with.  Not so.

I've been awake since then.  This is the day of the week that is designated for grocery shopping, so we accomplished that this morning.  We bought a small fresh turkey, rather than thawing out the one in the freezer as neither of us wanted to go through the job of thawing it.  It will be cooked Sunday morning or early afternoon.  Later Gail will be coming over that evening for an informal dinner and game night.  By cooking the turkey earlier in the day, the kitchen can be cleaned up and ready for a very informal buffet of turkey in buns, raw veggies, and whatever Gail brings for dessert.  She had a small group to her house for brunch last Sunday and we get to finish the leftovers of that.

What is bothering me is the very long recovery time I need to get my energy back after a stressful period like the one I've just gone through.  I'm also bothered by how difficult we're finding it to hunker down at home for any period.  We've either had people at the house or been out, or both, everyday for the last couple of weeks.  This is not how it's supposed to be done!

But, I have a new faucet and shower stall in the bathroom, and cleaning will be so much easier now.  We got to watch The Masked Singer last night, and we both just love this.  I have nothing scheduled for the rest of today, and nothing scheduled, other than Sunday's dinner, for the best part of next week.  I should be counting my blessings.  But, instead, maybe I'll just have a nap.

Plodding along...

...but getting things done!  All the dehydrators are now freshly cleaned and stored downstairs for now. I think I have finally found out how to keep the font size standard. You have to keep checking it when you make a new sentence or paragraph, otherwise it reverts on its own. That last message of mine was all over the map haha!

I am planning the meal to go to Mikes on Saturday. Will not be traditional Thanksgiving fare, but will be nutritious and satisfying. I always worry that he is not getting the right foods but instead just filling the gap when he can. So when we go, we have a nice spread and lots of leftovers for him to enjoy. Mind you I bought a pumpkin pie this year to save on a bit of fussing here, so it will be enjoyed not only by him, but also by me. We also will help him to put his summer car to bed for the winter. His dream was to own a Challenger - he loved this car from his early years so when it was right, he bought a 2017 Dodge Challenger which he drives only in the summer. We have a procedure to follow to drive it onto his yard and cover with huge sheets of plastic and secure all around the bottom. Of course in Spring we just reverse this process. He had to have his septic cleaned this year and since he did not know exactly where the hole was buried, a few weeks ago he had to go out and start to dig around. He found it OK and the dirty deed was done by the company, but now he has taken a picture of the location so next time he will know exactly where to dig. 

A bit of rain last few days just enough to be annoying and prevent some dedicated outside time. Hoping today will be different. I have plans but just cannot seems to get at them in a timely manner. The huge Maple at the front of the house is doing a splendid job this year - a colourful display of leaves which are all falling on the yard and driveway and car etc. I will try to rake some up as I need to put a row all around the greenhouses at the bottom to help buffer them for the winter and pending spring when the heaters go in. I hate to think about that right now ..haha!

Well, I had to cook some broccoli from the fridge ( I actually cleaned out the fridge yesterday) and plan to make a yummy soup for today - it was a bit beyond freah for a veg but should make into a delicious soup enough for me to enjoy for lunch.

Take care all - stay within your family unit and do not venture out. it is OK for us to go to Mikes as we do not get out anywhere else except Harry will have to get gas at the Canadian Tire Gas Bar in North Bay when we pass through. Blessings for Thanksgiving to you....

You both made my day....

Beautiful weather and her pending family visit from Cathy, and that gorgeous little owl bag from Pati. Oh, happy happy it is to get up early and read your notes... 

I, too, was very busy in the yard yesterday and i expect I also overexerted myself but the jobs have to get done "while the sun shines". The day before I thought Harry was finally finished with two of the three dehydrators so spent about 2 1/2 hours washing them and putting them away. The other was still chugging along. But yesterday he called to order a half bushel of Mac apples and so we drove west to the appointed address and sure enough once home, I had to haul up the nice clean machines and trays so we could start all over again. Never say never...

Yesterday i also had to make the phone calls I hate related to negotiating renewal for yearly rates for the Sirius satellite radio in the car and also a maturing GIC. The Sirius people with whom I spoke lacked the clearness of the spoken language of English, and with my hearing loss, the entire conversation was less than pleasant. And I never did hear back from the Bank about the GIC. 

So on with another day. More outside work if the weather holds and if not I am sure to find some distraction here inside haha! Mike tells me that the preordered next book in the "Paradise" series has now been shipped to him ( his gift to me) so I can hardly wait.I doubt that it will be there by the weekend when we visit him Saturday, but i can hope. I am anxious to read something and this book just might be the book to get me started again.   Take care

Another beautiful fall day

 It was really warm here today, but windy. I think I actually got too much sun in October! I got the logs piled but no brush burned because of the wind. I made the mashed potato casserole for thanksgiving and did some shopping. Kris and family are going to come for thanksgiving. They weren’t going to come at first, but there is no infection in Chloe’s school or Killarney at all, or in Neepawa so they are going to come. I am sooo excited!  I felt a bit guilty, but I didn’t go and help Rrain make masks today, but it was such a nice day!  And to be honest she was going to quit early today, too. We are watching the circus around Trump right now. That man always scared me, but now I really think he has mental problems!  How can he have so little consideration for other people?  Sorry if I offend you. I have a friend that is a Trump fan, but I don’t think I can hold my tongue next time I see her. On another note I can no longer use processing tomatoes as an excuse for not washing my kitchen floor☹️  The tomatoes are done ( thanks to Jean for taking the last of them) so now I have to clean, But tomorrow is always another day😊. It is only 7:00 pm, but I think trimming and stacking all those logs really wore me out! I really am thinking about crawling into bed with a heating pad!  Old age is so much fun!

A treasure

 The fellow came and painted the wall in the bedroom this morning, so we had no excuse to for avoiding paying our bill.  Early this afternoon we went to the office, which is in the neighbourhood, close to the  MCC Thrift store.  Every once in awhile, I like to just go in and browse, just as I like to sometimes take a slow walk through the dollar store.  I found some nice white fabric placemats--$0.50 for two of them.  Then I found two delicate little footed fruit nappies.  Very pretty, and on sale.  I paid a quarter for both.  Next was an old fashioned high, footed sundae dish.  It was $0.35, but I thought "What the heck, go for it".  Many of the Dr. Phil recipes involving yogurt suggest serving it as a parfait and this dish looks like it just might be perfect for that.

Then there it was, hanging from a peg in amongst a bunch of purses.  A little tiny tote bag with Owls!  $0.50.   I grabbed it and ran to the check out before they could take it away from me.  I have not yet figured out what I might do with it, but it's MINE!  I've put a soft drink can next to it, so you can see how tiny it really is. The owls are woven in rather than printed, but otherwise it's just like the bigger bags.  Better even than Pumpkin Spice Latte--which I didn't get today..

Tomorrow, the fellow is coming to change the faucet in the upstairs bathroom.  I'll be glad when that's done.  

Starbucks

 A surprise trip to Huntsville yesterday to buy some cantelopes and pineapples. Harry is dehydrating and since we plan to go to Mikes on Saturday for a Thanksgiving visit, Mike said he would like some dried fruit since we offered. Harry tried to buy a decent cantelope here in town but without luck so it was off and running down the highway! 

Mike actually called while we were on route and i said i was tempted to go to Starbucks again to try the Pumpkin Latte. He asked me if i felt adventurous enough to risk it again which gave me pause. So when all was said and done, i bought a Chai Tea Latte and devoured it with glee while sitting alone in the car waiting for Harry to shop in Dollarama. Great joy for me, and it was delightful!

Then it was back home to do down all the fruit he bought. As i sit here earl;y Sunday morning the two dehydrators are going full tilt. But I guess one could echo "all is well in the world" right now!  Take care 

Back to cold and drizzle

 Not much done outside yesterday...I am just too cold to endure it. I even put on an old garden winter jacket but that did nothing. When I walk the dogs i have my hat on now - something I really need to ward off the cold wind on my head. Could it spell the end of summer? haha!

We had a great discussion about Hallowe'en and decided we shall close off the lights and not offer goodies this year. Many on our little cul de sac already do this so we have seen numbers drop significantly over the years. I spend a lot of time decorating and making it appealing for the young ones but that too, takes time and energy but most of all some enthusiasm which I do not have this year. So now I hope this decision will hold true. We have not heard yet if the Village will cancel it completely this year in light of the Covid 19 issues. Many other cities etc have already done so.

The dehydrator has been going steady for a few days. More fruit being done. Not only the cranberries, but also now, cantaloupe and pineapple and plums. I hope much of this will be eaten over the winter?

We have arranged to visit with Mike next weekend for Thanksgiving - going on the Saturday. He has buckled down again into his studies full force even if the classes are on line - he still has lots to do. Assignments and essays and papers to complete and without the option of slipping into the University Library for research. This is the aspect of the lockdown that he misses the most. He is losing the ability to research since he has little at home or often little on line from which to gather info.. He has found that he is having to buy more books off the internet now and that adds up in expenses greatly.

I was happy to see your work Pati on the other blog and truly see how happy and busy you have been in the studio. I love th leaves from the Elm in your yard - a nice reminder of that glorious tree.

Just browsed the Free Press which I cannot read but only see highlights on line, and sad to see the final end of our beloved dear old Hudson Bay Store. So many happy memories of going "to the Bay" on the bus. I can still picture the different floors and off course, The Paddle Wheel. Perhaps they can restore its glory in another way as i think it is a heritage building now, is it not? 

Well, time for another coffee and some breakfast. Thinking if you all on this wonderful Fall day. Take care and stay safe.

Fixing the Faucet

We were out this morning and bought a new faucet for the bathroom.  Boy have styles ever changed since we did anything like this!   But it's a pretty little thing and a well respected manufacturer with a lifetime warrantee, so all's good.  We also stopped at The Bulk Barn and got a good deal between sale prices and a coupon.  Then it was grocery shopping, and with all our preparations and a lengthy shopping list, we discovered that most of our shopping was already done, and the bill was fairly low.  Finally to Starbucks where I got my instant Pumpkin Spice latte, and ground coffee.  There were only two packages of the instant coffee left when we left the store, and I hope that won't mean the end of it for this year.

Once at home, I prioritized my studio, and spent almost 2 hours, only leaving when ever sketch book that I'm currently using was too wet to do any more with. I've been so antsy to get down there and into this that I worked like a fiend and found myself with about 1/2 an hour of unscheduled time, so I'm spending it here.  Unfortunately, sitting down, I discovered another bill that wasn't paid when David took the others over to the bank yesterday.  Darn, and our chequeing account was looking so good.

Bu, I've worked in my sketchbooks and I have my special coffee treat, so all's right with the world yet again.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty....

 Just came in from having a hair cut - needed it badly and was afraid maybe the salons would be forced to close again.

On speck I called and was into the salon within one hour - great service and another short style cut.

The sun is shining, although on the cool side, so now it is outside to work. 

Take care.

All quiet on the western front.....

I stole the title, but it seemed to fit my position in the country.  I have not been picking fresh cranberries, nor drinking Pumpkin Latte, or any coffee to think of it. But I do have a bunch of freezer meals prepared. and we got rid of our last extra mattress so I rebuilt the beds in the spare rooms.  Sam chopped down more trees in the garden so I have been trimming branches and piling logs. If the wind ever dies down I hope to get as many branches burnt up as I can in the fire pit.  Jim plans on waiting for snow and burning whatever branches are left in the middle of the garden.  Jean is coming over with Chinese food tonight for Jim's birthday.  Yes, his birthday was in August, and her's was on Tuesday, but somehow we are always 2 months behind.  I guess we were all hoping for the Bamboo to open for eat in in the restaurant, but it is still pickup only so that is what we are having.  (i just hit the wrong button and closed my server! The nice program saved a draft for me)  We will probably wait and see if anything opens up in the next couple of months and get chinese or go to the casino for Jean's birthday.  I am going to help Kik with masks again this weekend.  She is still working on yours Beth, but she got another big order for 40 see through masks for speech pathologists at the school.  The Salvation Army got a grant to provide the school with some masks and asked Kik to make them. The province provided the teachers with some see through masks, but they are not that good., so they recommended getting better quality for the speech pathologists. I will make sure I help finish yours Beth.  They are cut and folded but when I don't help she has to do her batches one step at a time. When I am there she cuts, I iron and fold.. she sews the seams,  I notch the seams and pin the pieces together...she sews them together...I turn them, shape them and Iron them... she sews the folds for ties and nose pieces... I insert the ties and nose pieces and voila!  The see through ones are more precise so I may be just ironing and inserting elastics.  We'll see.  So today I will try and clean the rec room so we can eat the food down there. (Jean has trouble with stairs) and best of all Jean has said that she will take the tomatoes I have left. Time to start the day.. Take care my sisters!

Cranberries

 The dehydrator is full of cranberries drying after a spur of the moment trip to the "Cranberry Capital of Ontario" in Bala. This is a little town about 2 hours south and then west that we had visited several years ago and is a real tourist place. The actual marshes are about another 20 Km west of the town hidden off the road in the bush. Also on this property is the Muskoka Winery which opened years ago to make wine from the cranberries and has expanded greatly. This is a big place with stores and eating places and tours and buggy rides around the marshes etc but today it was a fast trip into the store only ( covid restrictions adhered to strictly) and then into a portable outhouse for a quick relief becore heading home. I did have to divert into Huntsville to get gas though as we were running close to empty.

It all started when Harry expressed a desire for cranberries after buying a bag in the store that turned out to be less than fresh. he suggested we go up to the Callandar Marshes where we used to trudge into the bush and marshes and pick our own for years and years. I immediately put a stop to that knowing that I could not walk for miles and then pick and then walk back and Harry cannot even bend these days and he sure could not do it like we did years ago. So I suggested we just drive to this place and buy the ready picked and packaged berries. So what if it costs - paying the price here is better than "paying the price" to endurance and pain thresholds otherwise. (not to mention the tension it may create) So off we went in the early afternoon and through some rainy parts and sunny parts we made it there and shopped and back by 5:30 pm. Then the cranberries went into the dehydrator. He bought three huge bags, I bought some cranberry juice ( I always keep the real stuff on hand for when I may need it) and a bag of chocolate covered berries to nibble on on the way home. Harry drove there and then I did the driving back -  by driving myself I am more relaxed because I do not have to be the navigator which happens when Harry drives.

So today I would like to continue with yard work but the weather has other plans such as more rain. Maybe I should just sit and finish my chocolate covered berries haha! I still have not heard about the Gamache book I ordered from the Library, and fear that we may see the closing of thes places soon if the government holds true to its desire to curb the current rise in covid cases or, the 'second wave" Premier Ford tells us they do not want to turn the "wave" into a "tsunami" I agree. So take care my sisters and be safe.